Placement years

Placement years give you the opportunity to explore your career plans and find out what your chosen path is really about. You get the chance to meet people in the business and you even get paid.

Tell me more

Industrial work placements can last between 6 and 12 months. Sometimes called sandwich placements or industrial traineeships, these are offered mainly by the larger graduate recruiters who see placements as an extended trial period before entering a graduate position with the company. Many companies now retain more than 70% of their work experience recruits.

Who is eligible?

Industrial and vacation placements are predominantly offered to penultimate year students, but this may vary if you're doing a sandwich course.

Where can I find one?

It is unlikely an opportunity will be handed to you on a plate so get proactive. Your best source of vacancies is your careers centre, they handle hundreds of these vacancies each year. Employers looking for specific degrees also target academic departments so watch those vacancy notice boards and keep in contact with your tutor.

It's worth trying to create your own placement, particularly with smaller or newer companies who often need graduate skills but don't use traditional recruitment methods. Identify and research possible companies from the business pages of local newspapers or take a look at the small companies based on the many science parks adjacent to universities. The more motivated you appear, the more interested they will be in you.

Your careers service can advise on making effective speculative applications and may produce a local employer directory with lists of potential target companies. Try to address your application to a named person, call the company switchboard to find out who you need to write to.

If you can't find out enough information on a particular company, be it whether you are eligible for a placement or who exactly they are try calling their Human Relations Department to find out more.

Watch out also for organised events and programmes such as Employers' Presentations or Recruitment Fairs arranged though your careers service, where you can meet employers first hand. And don't underestimate your own network contacts - family, friends, course tutors, alumni networks, student membership of professional institutes can all be sources of opportunities.

When do I apply?

Peak recruitment time is November to February, with some closing dates before Christmas. The huge scale of some international exchange programmes means closing dates are in December for the following summer.

Tips for applications:

• Application is by Employer Application Form or CV and covering letter. Remember, many of these placements turn into graduate job offers. Entry can be very competitive so get help and information from your careers service before applying.
• Do your research. Look into the company history, how they are doing in the market, how many people they employ, what recent developments have been occurring. Build up a picture of the company before applying and refer to your notes again before the interview.
• If you are applying late in the year or 'on spec', a phone call may be a good move. Have your notes in front of you and the name and direct line number of the person you need to talk to. Be clear and persistent as you may well be passed from pillar to post.